How to Talk About Indian-Themed Mascots

Jan 11, 2019

Thanks to many years of outreach to Maine schools by tribal leaders, all except one of Maine’s Indian-themed mascots have been retired. Community efforts have recently renewed in Skowhegan, aiming to persuade the school board to retire the one remaining mascot. Navigating these discussions is notoriously difficult and time consuming, but communities that invest the time to listen and learn from Indigenous peoples invariably find their communities strengthened as a result. Most who have been a part of these community discussions find the same issues and arguments raised, regardless of the town. In collaboration with representatives from the Penobscot Nation, we’ve compiled the most common arguments below, with suggestions for ways to respond.

If you are interested in supporting the effort to retire Maine’s final Indian-themed mascot, scroll down to the bottom for ways you can help.

1. “Our mascot honors Maine’s tribes.”

While many assume that using Native American imagery to illustrate fighting strength honors Native people, the only way to know for sure is to ask Native people themselves. On this, tribal leaders in Maine and around the country have been very clear: Indian-themed mascots do not honor them. In fact, they do the opposite. As the National Congress of American Indians states, “rather than honoring Native peoples, these caricatures and stereotypes are harmful, perpetuate negative stereotypes of America’s first peoples, and contribute to a disregard for the personhood of Native peoples.”

2. “It’s our tradition.”

It’s hard to justify how non-Native people can claim that their tradition involves referring to themselves as “Indians,” while dismissing Indigenous people who claim the term for themselves. After generational struggles against efforts to eradicate all traces of their culture, family bonds, language, and land claims, the traditions that come with being a member of a Native tribe are considered sacred, not entertainment. In fact, most schools, like Skowhegan, adopted Indian-themed mascots decades after their founding, so in many cases the real tradition likely involved having no mascot at all.

3. “I’m of Scandinavian descent and I raise cows, but I’m not offended by the Vikings and the Cowboys. Native Americans shouldn’t be offended either.”

While folks should note that Vikings and cowboys are not races of people, and neither experienced oppression and genocidal policies at the hands of our government, the more important point is that it should always be up to the group being portrayed to determine if the portrayal is offensive.

4. “One time a Native American said he liked our mascot.”

It does happen sometimes, but it’s pretty rare and should not be taken as consensus of Native opinion. Leaders of all four of Maine’s federally recognized tribes are unified in their opposition to Indian-themed mascots. That’s about as close to consensus of Maine’s Native opinion as you’re ever likely to get.

5. “If we get rid of the Indian mascot, they’ll also make us change the name of the town or get rid of the Indian statue and town seal. Where will it end?”

Retaining Indigenous references in town names like Skowhegan and Norridgewok is considered respectful by Native Americans, and serves as a daily reminder that we are all living on Indigenous land. While Skowhegan’s “Indian” statue and town seal do little to promote understanding of and respect for Maine’s tribes, they are also unlikely to cause lasting harm. Indian-themed mascots, however, do. The tribes have stated repeatedly that they are only seeking replacement of the mascot.

7. “Replacing all the uniforms and gear will be too expensive.”

The good news is that there are organizations out there, like Adidas, that want to help schools retire Indian-themed mascots. Other schools have done a gradual replacement of their gear. There are plenty of options, and plenty of school administrators and coaches in Maine who have experience navigating this kind of transition.

8. “If you don’t live here, don’t tell us what to do.”

As long as Native children can attend Skowhegan’s schools and its teams can compete against Native students, the threat of harm and discrimination remains, affecting more than current Skowhegan residents. It’s not just Native students that are harmed by these mascots. As a 2014 report by the Center for American Progress found, “studies show that these mascots undermine the educational experience of all students, particularly those with little or no contact with indigenous and [American Indian/Alaska Native] people.” Because Skowhegan’s is the last of Maine’s Indian-themed mascots, all of Maine is now watching. We hope the Skowhegan community will come to their own conclusion that retiring the mascot is in everyone’s best interest, and the right move for the town’s image and future.

9. “We got rid of the feathered dancing guy years ago. It’s a name, not a mascot.”

We applaud teams and schools, like Skowhegan Area High School, that have done away with the fake costumes, dances, hatchet gestures, and whooping. It’s a big step, but if the name remains, there’s still work to do. When a name is used like a mascot, it poses the same harm. Non-Natives claiming “We are the Indians!” is like Jewish people saying “We are the Muslims!” or vice versa. Being an “Indian” is more than a mascot, more than a name, and more than distant ancestry. Being a member of a federally recognized Indigenous tribe comes with expectations, hard work, responsibilities, and a whole lot of trauma. Skowhegan residents have plenty to be proud of. Claiming to be a race of people that they aren’t is not one of them.

10. “Don’t Native Americans have more important problems to worry about?”

If you happen to live on planet Earth right now, there is no shortage of important problems to worry about. Fortunately, humans are pretty great at multitasking. Most of us can even work on global, national, local, household, and personal problems all the same time. But one thing’s for sure: the harder we work to resolve problems together, the faster we’ll get them done.

Want to Support the Effort to Retire Maine’s Last Indian-Themed Mascot?

Submit a letter to the editor. If you live, work, or go to school in Skowhegan, if you are a member of one of the Wabanaki Nations, or if you are a current or former student, administrator, or coach from a school that retired an Indian-themed mascot, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor. Need help writing your letter? Send us an email @suitupmaine@gmail.com.

Sign this petition that will be delivered to the school’s superintendent and the chair of the Maine Board of Education.

Read and share the letters to the MSAD 54 school board from the ACLU and Governor-elect Janet Mills.

Learn more about Maine’s Wabanaki nations: the Micmacs, Maliseets, Penobscots, and Passamaquoddys at Motahkokmikuk and Sipayik at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. Schools and institutions can also purchase the documentary Dawnland, which tells the story of Maine’s truth and reconciliation commission’s two-year effort to gather testimony and bear witness to the impact of the state’s child welfare practices on Wabanaki families.

Suit Up Maine is a statewide, all-volunteer, progressive, grassroots group of more than 5,400 Mainers that seeks to create and foster a more informed and engaged electorate. We raise awareness of and advocate for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. We are beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians, and we aren’t engaged in fundraising. Suit Up Maine fosters collaboration among our state’s progressive groups and organizations to collectively connect, educate, and motivate Mainers to rise in non-violent resistance to a regressive agenda.